Multi-clarity lenses

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed toward apparatuses, devices, methods, kits, programs, and combinations to disperse and/or project light. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention where a light effect of glowing, diffuse, and projected light is desired, one lens is provided that diffuses light in one section of the lens and is substantially clear in another section to allow substantially all the light to pass through the lens. In other embodiments to obtain the same effect, one or more lenses diffuse light while one or more other lenses are clear to allow substantially all the light to pass through the lens.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to multi-clarity lens that diffuseand/or project a light source.

2. Description of the Background of the Invention

Lenses that diffuse light are known in the art. Devices that incorporatelenses are also known. One such device is a lighting unit for use withcommon household lighting fixtures that uses an illumination system neara wall or surface for creating an image of light thereon by passingradiant light through a convergent refracting lens. The lens in oneinstance is decorative in shape and embellished with etched, drawn,painted or applied designs for projecting the image.

Other devices that project light are nightlights that have a neon lampor a number of light-emitting diodes (LED's) as the light source thatare arranged in series with a current-limiting capacitor. In some cases,lighting devices emit different colors of light such as from multipleLED's.

Other devices that project light include a fragrance diffuser that isplugged directly into a wall socket and generates heat to facilitatediffusion of an active material, such as an air freshener or insectcontrol material. Such diffusers are also known as heat-assistedevaporative dispensers.

One particular type of diffuser that plugs into a wall employs a liquidor gel air-treating composition in an enclosure having a permeablemembrane, with all or part of the enclosure formed of a polymeric film.When heated, the air-treating composition migrates through the membraneand is released as a vapor at an outer surface. The use of this type ofpermeable polymeric membrane controls the dispensing of air-treatingvapors and tends to eliminate great variations in rate of dispensingover the life of the product. Another conventional type of diffuseremploys a liquid air freshener such as scented oil or a liquid insectrepellant contained in a clear plastic container or bottle having awick. One diffuser employs a ring-type heater mounted in the airfreshener to vaporize and disperse the liquid contained in thecontainer. Another device for evaporating a liquid from a containerhaving a wick utilizes a sliding part coupled to a housing to displaceand axially guide the container in a non-rotating manner in relation toa heating element to regulate an evaporation rate of the liquid. Onevapor dispensing unit uses a variable temperature heater configured as apositive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater to control the evaporationlevel of fragrance. Yet another vaporizing device uses a guidance systembetween a refill bottle having a wick and a housing unit to aid inguiding a refill bottle unit relative to the housing unit and to centerthe wick contained in the refill bottle unit relative to a heatingelement contained within the housing unit when the refill bottle isinserted into the housing unit.

In some instances, a liquid evaporator uses a refill bottle that has anengagement portion that engages a casing of the liquid evaporator and arelease that causes deformation of the receiver and to allow release ofthe container from the casing.

Various types of fragrance dispensers other than the evaporative typeuse an electrostatic vapor or an aerosol generator for supplyingaromatic oil, deodorant, disinfectant, fumigant, fungicide, insecticideor bactericide, to a room. In some cases, an adjustable aerosoldispenser is provided for supplying different amounts of fragrance intoa room according to sensed light, odor, sound, etc. In other cases, adevice is provided for emitting a vaporized substance into theatmosphere according to the setting of a timer. In yet other cases, anelectrostatic sprayer that sprays insecticides is controlled accordingto selected “on” times and “off” times and also incorporates a sensor tosense the available power for continued operation. Other dispensers havean ultrasonic liquid atomizer with automatic frequency control, or havetimers for controlling the operation of the dispensers according topreset times.

Additional dispensers of a type often referred to as diffusers have afragrance warmer that incorporates a plug-through capability and anincandescent nightlight. Incandescent nightlights, however, suffer fromvarious disadvantages. For example, incandescent bulbs produceconsiderable heat. When incandescent nightlights are used in connectionwith a diffuser of volatile active material, the heat generated by theincandescent nightlight tends to affect the rate at which the activematerial is diffused. Thus, when the nightlight is turned on, the activematerial may, for example, diffuse too quickly. Also, because of theadded heat, it is difficult to regulate the rate at which the activematerial is diffused. Another disadvantage of using incandescent bulbsas nightlights is that the bulbs tend to consume relatively largeamounts of energy. Since nightlights are often left on for extendedperiods of time in multiple rooms of a house, this energy consumptionmay be a significant consideration.

Various techniques, such as using different incandescent bulbs and usingbulbs of varying size or power rating, have been used in an attempt toreduce heat produced and power consumed by nightlights. Thesetechniques, however, have yielded only minor reductions in heat emissionand energy consumption, and come at a cost to performance of thenightlight.

Another problem with conventional diffusers is that the diffusers do notmake effective use of lighting elements. For example, lighting elementsin conventional diffusers are typically not used to generate aestheticlighting displays, such as multicolored displays, color-changingdisplays, projection displays, shine-through displays, or the like. Astill further problem is that conventional diffusers are limited in useto locations where wall sockets are already exist. Wall sockets areoften located in places that are less than ideal for placement ofdiffusers, such as near the floor, in a corner, etc. This limitation onthe location of diffusers is even more problematic for diffusers thathave a lighting element or display, since the diffuser often cannot belocated in a user's line of sight, thereby limiting the effectiveness ofthe lighting element. Yet another problem is that conventional diffuserstypically do not have suitable controllability for varying the emissionof light and/or fragrance. In particular, such diffusers seldom havefragrance dispensers that are easily and precisely adjustable to vary afragrance intensity or diffusion rate.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention is directed toward apparatuses, devices, methods,kits, programs, and combinations to disperse and/or project light.Illustratively, in one embodiment of the present invention a diffuserthat disperses an active material is provided that has a housingassembly having a compartment for receiving a container that may beconfigured to include an optional wick extending therefrom to assist in,for example, the evaporation and/or dispersion of the active material;an optional heating device disposed within the housing assembly at aposition proximate to the container and/or an upper portion of the wickif present; an electrical connection to transmit electricity to thediffuser; at least one light source comprising a light-emitting diode;and at least one lens to project light emitted from the light sourcefrom the diffuser.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the diffuser has two ormore lenses with at least one of the lenses oriented toward at least oneof a front, side, top, bottom, or back side of the diffuser: The lens orlenses may be made of any suitable material that transmits lightincluding glass, resin, and/or plastic, and combinations thereof. Anillustrative plastic useful in the present invention is polypropylene.The lens or lenses may also be configured to diffuse light and projectlight from the diffuser. The lens or lenses of the present invention mayalso be constructed as a single piece of material such as an integraloptical element or multiple pieces such as multiple optical elements. Alens of the present invention may also have at least one section orportion that is thicker than at least one other section of the lens. Insome embodiments, the thicker section or portion of the lens is moreopaque to light than a thinner section of the lens. One or more sectionsor portions of a lens of a present invention may also be clear,polished, frosted, colored, etched, painted, and/or textured.

In other embodiments a diffuser of the present invention also includesan adjustment mechanism for displacing the container and/or an upperportion of a wick if present toward or away from a heating devicedisposed in the diffuser.

A method of displaying light and dispensing a fragrance and/or an activematerial from a diffuser is also provided by the present invention. Themethod includes providing a diffuser that has a housing assembly with areclosable compartment for at least one of receiving, releasablyengaging, and/or retaining a container configured to contain thefragrance and an optional wick extending therefrom; an optional heatingdevice disposed within the housing assembly at a position proximate tothe container; a light source; and at least one lens near the lightsource to display light; inserting into the compartment the containerhaving an amount of the fragrance; providing a power source to thediffuser; and activating the light source to display the light throughat least one of the lenses, and the optional heater if present to assistin dispensing the fragrance and/or the active material from thediffuser. In some embodiments, the diffuser has at least two lenses,and/or at least one lens diffuses light and projects light.

In yet other embodiments of the present invention, a multi-clarity lensfor displaying light from a device, which, for example, also dispersesan active material, is provided. The multi-clarity lens may be anysuitable transparent or semitransparent material including, for example,polypropylene. The lens may also have at least one section that isthicker and more opaque to light than at least one other section. Adevice useful in the present invention includes a device that has ahousing assembly with a compartment for at least one of receiving,releasably engaging, and/or retaining a container configured to containthe active material and an optional wick extending therefrom; anoptional heating device disposed within the housing assembly at aposition proximate to the container; a light source, including forexample, a light-emitting diode; and at least one polypropylene lensnear the light source to display light. In one embodiment, themulti-clarity lens of the present invention diffuses light and projectslight. The multi-clarity lens of the present invention may also includeone or more sections or portions that are clear, polished, frosted,colored, etched, painted, and/or textured.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a diffuser of the presentinvention, showing the internal electronic and mechanical components ofthe diffuser;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a back elevational view of an embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom elevational view of an embodiment of FIG. 1 with areclosable door in a closed position;

FIG. 8 is a bottom elevational view of an embodiment of FIG. 1 with areclosable door in an open position;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of FIG. 1incorporating a container having a wick extending therefrom and takengenerally along the lines 9-9 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the diffuser of FIG. 1 with thehousing omitted, showing the internal electronic and mechanicalcomponents of the diffuser;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a first circuit useful in the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a second circuit useful in the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a third circuit useful in the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a circuit according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the operation of the embodiment of thepresent invention illustrated in FIG. 11 according to a first controlmethodology;

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 11for controlling the light intensity of a lighting source according tothe first control methodology;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the operation of a modified embodimentof FIG. 11 according to a second control methodology;

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a diffuser of thepresent invention, showing a wall wash projected from the diffuser; and

FIG. 19 is an isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention is directed toward apparatuses, devices, methods,kits, programs, and combinations to disperse and/or project light. Whilethe present invention may be embodied in many different forms, severalspecific embodiments are discussed herein with the understanding thatthe present disclosure is to be considered only as an exemplification ofthe invention and is not intended to limit the invention to theembodiments illustrated. For example, in one embodiment of the presentinvention where a light effect of glowing, diffused, and projected lightis desired, one lens is provided that has a section or portion thatdiffuses light in one section of the lens and is substantially clear inanother section to allow substantially all the light to pass through thelens. In other embodiments to obtain the same effect, one or more lensesdiffuse light while one or more other lenses are clear to allowsubstantially all the light to pass through the lens(es).

A lens of the present invention may be an integral optical element ormultiple optical elements depending on, for example, the light effectdesired, the materials used to make the lens(es), and/or themanufacturing technique used. Illustratively, a lens of the presentinvention that disperses and projects light comprises a single opticalelement and has sections or portions of various thicknesses, including athin section that is substantially clear and/or transparent and anothersection of a thickness with increased opaqueness. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, as the thickness of the lens increases theopaqueness increases in proportion to the increase in thickness andprovides for more light diffusion. In other embodiments, however, as thethickness of the lens increases little or no change in opaqueness occursand other methods to increase opaqueness including, for example,frosting, etching, and/or blocking portions of the lens are utilized todisperse the light. In order to reduce cost and manufacturing steps, aone-piece or multiple-piece lens of an inexpensive material, forexample, polypropylene, may be used. Standard molding process known tothose skilled in the art may also be used in the present invention toform a desired lens or lenses of various shapes, thicknesses, and/orconfigurations.

The lens(es) of the present invention may be used in any applicationwhere diffused or dispersed and non-dispersed, non-diffused or projectedlight is desired. For example, a device useful in the present inventionincludes a diffuser that has a light source and dispenses an activematerial such as, for example, a fragrance and/or an insecticide, to theatmosphere through, for example, evaporation, heat, and/or air movement.In other embodiments, the light source is ambient or passive. Forexample, packaging materials may include a lens of the present inventionwhere a portion of the inside of the package is desired to be blockedand/or obscured, while other areas are desired to be clear and/ortranslucent to allow a viewer to view the inside of the package.Examples of packaging materials useful in the present invention includecomputer and/or electronic cases such as, for example, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a telephone, a music player, a stereosystem, a television, a watch, a video game, and/or a media device thatplays, for example, music, movies and/or games, and may or may notinclude an internal light source. Display cases also are useful in thepresent invention and also may or may not include a light source that isprojected through one or more lenses. Such display cases may include oneor more areas of the lens that magnify the contents of the display case.Another device useful in the present invention is a lighting fixturewith at least one light source, for example, a light bulb such as, forexample, an incandescent bulb, a fluorescent bulb, and/or a halogenbulb, a LED, and/or a candle, in which one or more lenses of the presentinvention are incorporated into the lighting fixture to project lightand/or shadows from the lighting fixture. Such lighting fixtures may be,for example, decorative for use in a home or office setting, forexample, or a safety lighting fixture such as emergency lightingfixtures and/or lighting fixtures for lighting stairs or stairwells.Other devices useful in the present invention may also include othersensory devices such as light, sound, motion, smoke, fire, and/or carbonmonoxide sensors that in one embodiment incorporate a light source thatmay be used in coordination with another sensory device. The lens(es)utilized with the devices described herein may be configured to projectany desired image onto a projection surface such as a smooth surface, awall, a floor and/or a ceiling. For example, one or more lensesincorporated into a motion detector may be configured to project animage of a dog and/or a security guard onto a wall when the motiondetector is activated. In other embodiments, a lens of the presentinvention is useful in medical devices and/or research tools, including,for example, devices that incorporate visual light, for example, amicroscope, ultraviolet light, luminescent light, and/or x-rays, andcombinations thereof, including, for example, a synchrotron light sourceof various energy ranges. Other light sources useful in the presentinvention include lasers that emit monochromatic radiation, such as, forexample, nitrogen and/or dye lasers, which may be high- or low-energyand/or pulsed. A light projection device of the present invention canalso be used in the home and/or office to create light patterns forrelaxation or amusement. For example, a night light for children may beused with stickers and/or patterns on clear film that can be placed overthe lens to project a child's name, initials, sport team logo, animal,and/or favorite object. In other embodiments, a night light with lightprojection can direct people in an unfamiliar environment (such as ahotel/motel) to the nearest exit.

The present invention is further illustrated by the following drawings,which should not be construed as limiting in any way. For example, whilethe following drawings are illustrated with particular reference to oneor more LED's, it is understood that any other light source of anyenergy range and/or wavelength may, if desired, be substituted in wholein part for the LED's herein described. Additionally, while thefollowing drawing are illustrated with particular reference to adiffuser, it is understood that any other device utilizing a lightsource may, if desired, be substituted in whole or in part for thediffuser herein described.

As shown in FIGS. 1-10, a diffuser 10 of the present invention includesa housing assembly 20 with a base 21 having an opening 31 to receive arefill bottle 100. The housing assembly 20 of the diffuser 10 may bemade of any suitable material including, for example, a plastic such aspolypropylene and/or high-density polyethylene. Referring to FIG. 1, thehousing assembly 20 includes a chassis 22 to support various componentsof the diffuser 10 and is shown with a bottom door 23 in an openedposition. The bottom door 23 is attached to the chassis 22 via a livinghinge 34. When the door 23 is in a closed position (see FIG. 7) a latch32 engages the base 21 to secure the door in a closed position. Thechassis 22 holds a printed circuit board 30 that controls the functionof one or more components of the diffuser 10. A light source 43 includesthree light-emitting diodes (LED's) that are disposed on the printedcircuit board 30 and are configured to project light through a frontlens 27, a diffuser lens 29, and a back lens 28. While this embodimentillustrates a light source 43 with LED's, a device of the presentinvention may use a single LED, a plurality of LED's, and/or one or moreLED arrays. If multiple LED's are used, they may be arranged in, forexample, a line, a circle, a square, a triangle, a flower shape, an arcshape, or any other desired shape or arrangement.

The front lens 27 is configured to be disposed in an opening 36 at afront side 55 of the housing assembly 20 and to attach to the housingassembly along an outer edge 39 of the front lens and an edge of thefront opening 36. The back lens 28 is configured to be disposed in anopening 37 at a back side 38 of the housing assembly 20 and to attach tothe housing assembly along an outer edge 41 of the back lens and an edgeof the back opening 42. A diffuser lens 29 is disposed between the frontlens 27 and the light source 43 and is attached to the chassis 22 at apair of contact points 44 (only one shown). In other embodiments, aone-piece lens of various thicknesses replaces the two lensconfiguration of the front lens 27 and the diffuser lens 29 as shown inFIG. 1. In this embodiment, the front lens 27 and back lens 28 areshaped so as to snap-fit tightly onto the housing assembly 20, and inother embodiments may also be securely fastened to the housing assemblyby use of, for example, an adhesive, a tab, and/or a clip. A pluralityof top vents 52 a are disposed on the housing assembly 20 above aninterior compartment 59 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) that houses the refillbottle. In this embodiment, a fan-like recess 58 disposed in the chassis22 and positioned below an ejector arm 24 is configured to engage therefill bottle and to assist in receiving, releasably engaging, and/orretaining the refill bottle in the diffuser 10.

A heater 45 is also attached to the chassis 22 and in this embodiment isa resistance heater located in proximity to the interior compartment 59of the housing assembly 20 of the diffuser 10 to heat an active material(not shown) received in the interior compartment. A heating elementuseful in the present invention may be of any desired shape and/or maybe complementary with the shape of a wick or wicks utilized in thepresent invention and/or a housing assembly 20 of a device.Illustratively, the heater 45 is a metal oxide 6 kΩ resistor potted in aceramic block, which is capable of handling up to at least about 5 W.Other heaters useful in the present invention include, for example, awire-wound heater, a printed ink circuit, an etched foil heating device,a positive temperature coefficient heater (PTC), or the like. An exampleof a resistor heater is available from Great Land Enterprise Co., Ltd.,of Shenzhen, China. Variable temperature heaters may also be used in thepresent invention, including, for example, the heating devices disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,967, by Levine, et al. Other heaters useful inthe present invention are disclosed in, for example, U.S. PatentPublication No. 2004/0035409, by Harwig, et al. Combinations of theabove heating elements may also be used in the present invention. Adiffuser 10 of the present invention may also include multiple heatingelements depending on, for example, the number of wicks utilized in thediffuser. As should be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art, theheater 45 may be continuously energized, or may be provided analternating waveform, such as a pulse-width modulated waveform having aduty cycle selected to cause the heater 45 to develop a desired heatlevel.

In other embodiments, a pumping device to facilitate the diffusion of anactive material by pumping out a portion of an active material fluid isused instead of or in conjunction with a heating element. A pumpingdevice useful in the present invention includes, for example, apiezoelectric atomizing pump. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, a piezoelectric frequency generator, for example, apiezoelectrically actuated atomization device, controls the operation ofa fragrance dispenser. The atomization device typically operates toatomize fragrance for an approximately eleven millisecond burst at setintervals. The piezoelectric frequency generator controls the frequencyof the eleven millisecond bursts to adjust the rate at which thefragrance is dispensed (thus, controlling the potency of the aroma).Typically, the piezoelectric frequency generator operates using pulsewidth modulation. A piezoelectric atomizing pump useful in the presentinvention is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,419. Anotherexample of a piezoelectric atomizing pump useful in the presentinvention is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,196. Yetanother example of a piezoelectric atomizing pump useful in the presentinvention is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,732.

As shown in FIG. 4, a wick adjustment mechanism 25 is disposed in thehousing assembly 20 above the ejector arm 24 for displacing an upperportion of a wick 101 (see FIG. 9) toward or away from the heatingelement 45. The adjustment mechanism 25 varies the rate at which theactive material is diffused by moving the wick 101 of the container 100toward the heating element 45 to increase the diffusion rate and awayfrom the heating element to decrease the diffusion rate by movement of adial 25 a. Other wick adjustment mechanisms useful in the presentinvention include those described in, for example, U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2003/0138241 A1.

Two user interactive buttons 26 a, 26 b are disposed in two openings 46,47, respectively, in the housing assembly 20 of the diffuser 10, and areconfigured to operatively interact with the printed circuit board 30 viatwo switches 48 a, 48 b on one or both sides (the second switch is notshown in FIGS. 1-10, but is shown schematically in FIG. 11) of theprinted circuit board 30. Illustratively, a user pushes the interactivebuttons 26 a, 26 b to displace a respective button assembly arm 49 or 50into engagement with the respective switches 48 a, 48 b to controloperation of the LED's 43.

Other configurations of LED's may also be used in a diffuser 10depending on the particular light effect that is desired, including, forexample, a nightlight, a multicolored display, a color-changing display,a projection display, and/or a shine-through display. For example, adiffuser 10 may include one or more LED's and/or one or more LED arraysof one or more colors and/or luminosities. One or more of LED's may alsobe used as a low-temperature, low-power light such as, for example, anightlight, and/or an ornamental display. Illustratively, the LED has aluminous intensity rating at 20 milliamps (mA) preferably of betweenabout 50 millicandela (mcd) to about 10,000 mcd, or more preferablybetween 100 mcd to about 5,000 mcd, or more preferably less than about1,300 mcd, or more preferably less than aobut 5,000 mcd. Where multipleLED's are utilized, each of the LED's has a luminous intensity rating ofless than the above luminous intensity ratings, but on total have aluminous intensity rating of as described above. The one or more LED'smay also be provided in combination and/or in coordination with othersensory stimulation, such as fragrance and/or sound. For example, a redand/or green LED could be used with an appropriate fragrance and/orsound during the holidays. Where multiple LED's and/or one or more LEDarrays are utilized in the present invention, each LED or LED array maybe controlled independently or together, to provide a desired ornamentaldesign or effect. An example of a diffuser with coordinated emission offragrance, light, and/or sound useful in the present invention isdisclosed in, for example, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US04/003533.Another example of a diffuser with coordinated emission of fragrance,light, and/or sound useful in the present invention is disclosed in, forexample, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US03/12469. Music or acousticgenerators useful in the present invention for generating sound and/orplaying sounds/music stored in a memory is disclosed in, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,689. Other music or acoustic generators useful inthe present invention for generating sound and/or playing sounds/musicstored in a memory is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.5,452,270. Yet other music or acoustic generators useful in the presentinvention for generating sound and/or playing sounds/music stored in amemory is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,892. A diffuser10 of the present invention may also include speakers for emittingmusic, sounds, and the like, and to produce a suitable effect inconnection with a light presentation and/or an aroma or a fragrancereleased from the diffuser. A programmable user control, including, forexample, a remote control, may also be provided to program the operationof one or more LED's, speakers, and/or fragrance dispensers. The usercontrol may include an on/off switch which activates and/or deactivates,for example, the LED's, speakers, and/or fragrance dispensers.

A light presentation may also be activated automatically in response toa signal from a sensor, including, for example, an ambient light sensordevice 220 that detects light, a temperature detector, a sound detector,a smoke detector, a carbon dioxide detector, a fire detector, afragrance detector, and/or a motion detector. For example, a lightsensor may be set such that when a predetermined amount of light isdetected (indicating, for instance, sunset or sunrise, a room lightbeing turned on or off, or the like), the sensor activates one or morepreprogrammed presentations stored in memory of a device of the presentinvention. One such ambient light sensor device useful in the presentinvention is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,440.Additionally, a user may program a device of the present invention toproduce a personalized presentation. For example, one or more buttonsmay be configured to allow a user to program the fragrance aspect of thepresentation. Illustratively, once a button has been pressed, the usermay press another button to determine the starting rate of fragranceemission. The starting rate may also be set by pressing a button toreduce the fragrance emission rate and/or pressing another button toincrease the rate. The selected rate may also be displayed on a display.Once the starting rate is set, the user may also press a button tochoose an ending rate for the fragrance emission in a manner similar tothat for setting the starting rate. Once set, the dispenser alters therate of emission of fragrance over the course of the presentation fromthe set starting rate to the set ending rate.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exterior frontal view of the diffuser 10. Thefront side 55 of the housing assembly 20 is shown. Feet or pads 57 areprovided to stabilize the diffuser 10 when placed on a surface. Anexterior side view of the diffuser 10 is provided in FIG. 3. On a side54 of the diffuser 10 the button assembly 26 may be seen. A plurality oftop vents 52 a are disposed on the housing assembly 20 above an interiorcompartment 59 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) that houses the refill bottle orcontainer 100 (see FIG. 9). In other embodiments, the diffuser 10 mayalso have at least one top vent 52 a disposed in the housing assembly 20above the upper portion of a wick 101 that is inserted into the diffuserand an inlet opening 52 b disposed in the housing assembly below theupper portion of a wick and each having a total opening area of about0.25 to about 5 times the area of the cross-sectional area of the top ofthe wick. In some instances where condensation may form within theinterior compartment 59, the total area of top vent 52 a and the inletopening 52 b is between about 1 to about 3 times the area of thecross-sectional area of the top of the wick 101, depending on the mannerin which the wick adjustment mechanism 25 moves the wick in relation tothe opening. One consideration in the size of the top vents 52 a and theinlet openings 52 b is to reduce or eliminate condensation from theinterior compartment 59, by configuring the top vents and inlet openingssuch that a vapor plume from evaporation of the active material is notblocked by the interior compartment 59 or housing 20. However, if thetop vents 52 a and inlet openings 52 b are too large, there is too muchair flow into the interior compartment 59, which cools the top of thewick 101 slowing active material weight loss efficacy.

In one embodiment of the present invention the top vents 52 a and inletopenings 52 b are no wider than about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) such that arod having a diameter of about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) cannot be insertedthrough the top vents and inlet openings. In this embodiment the topvents and inlet openings may be shaped such that a top vent or inletopening has no cross section greater than about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm).Such shapes include, for example, tear-drop shapes, oblong shapes, ovalshapes, square shapes, triangle shapes, and the like. Illustratively,the top vents and inlet openings 52 a, 52 b may provide a “chimneyeffect” inside the interior compartment that houses the refill bottle orcontainer so that airflow or air movement occurs across the refillbottle or container to assist in vaporizing the active material anddispersing the vaporized active material from the diffuser 10. The topvents and inlet openings 52 a, 52 b may be formed in the housing 20during the molding thereof and/or during a post-manufacturing process.The top vents and inlet openings 52 a, 52 b may also be decorative aswell as functional and be used, for example, to project a light patternfrom the diffuser 10.

An exterior back view of the diffuser 10 is provided in FIGS. 4 and 5.The back lens 28 is shown disposed in the opening 37 of the housingassembly 20. The wick adjustment mechanism 25 is disposed in the backside 38 of the housing assembly 20 above the ejector arm 24. An opening53 a in the back housing 38 is configured to engage a fan-likeprotrusion 53 of an inserted refill bottle 100 (See FIG. 9) below theejector arm 24 and is configured to engage a refill bottle and to assistin receiving, releasably engaging, and/or retaining a refill bottle inthe diffuser 10. A plurality of top vents 52 a are disposed on thehousing assembly 20 above an interior compartment 59 (see FIGS. 8 and 9)that houses the refill bottle 100, and a plurality of vent openings 52 bare disposed on the back housing 38 to assist in movement of air intothe interior compartment.

An outlet 51 in the housing assembly 20 is provided for an electricalwire or cord (not shown) to transmit electricity, for example, from awall socket, to the diffuser 10 and to provide power to one or morecomponents of the diffuser 10. The diffuser 10 may also include anelectrical receptacle (not shown) that is electrically connected to oneor more the components of the diffuser for receiving a plug of theelectrical cord that supplies electrical power to the diffuser, or maybe plugged directly into an electrical power source, such as, forexample, an electrical wall outlet or socket. Illustratively, thediffuser 10 is configured to be a direct-corded diffuser with a plug atthe end of the electrical cord that may be plugged into an electricalpower source such as an electrical wall outlet or socket. A cord or wiremay also be disposed in either the upper or lower portion of a housingassembly 20 of a diffuser 10, and/or may be configured as a separateelement that is interposed between the upper and lower portions of thehousing assembly during assembly. The plug may also be secured to thehousing assembly 20 in a manner that allows the plug to rotate relativeto the housing assembly in order to support the diffuser 10 in anupright position in both horizontal and vertical wall outlets.

A top view of the diffuser 10 is provided in FIG. 6. The light source 43includes three LED's that are positioned in-line to project lightthrough the front lens 27 and the back lens 28.

A bottom view of the diffuser 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Thebase 21 with the opening 31 is shown disposed inside the housingassembly 20. Two cross-notch-head screws 56 secure the base 21 to thehousing assembly 20. In other embodiments, the screws are designed to benon-removable with common household tools like screwdrivers and pliers.In other embodiments rivets, welding, heat staking, adhesive bonding,special screws, and/or other fasteners, and combinations thereof, notreadily removable by most common household tools are used to join and/orsecure various components of the devices together. In yet otherembodiments, various components are joined and/or secured together byfasteners that are easily removed by common household tools, including,for example, cross-notch-head screws, spring clips, and/or bent tabs,and combinations thereof.

As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom door 23 is in a closed position and isattached to the chassis 22 (see FIG. 1) via the living hinge 34. In oneembodiment, the base 21 is secured to the housing assembly 20 such thatno opening other than when the door 23 is in an open position is greaterthan about 0.01 inch (0.03 cm), or more preferably no greater thanbetween about 0.01 inch (0.03 cm) to about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm). Inanother embodiment of the present invention, no opening when the door 23is closed has a cross section wider than about 0.01 inch (0.03 cm), ormore preferably wider than about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm).

Inside the housing assembly 20 is an interior compartment 59 forreceiving, releasably engaging, and/or retaining a refill bottle orcontainer 100 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The ejector arm 24 is shown disposedbelow the wick adjustment mechanism 25 and has an opening 24 a toreceive the refill bottle or container 100. Top vents 52 a may be seendisposed at the top of the interior compartment 59. When the refillbottle 100 is received in the interior compartment 59, the fan-likeprotrusion 58 disposed on the chassis 22 (see FIG. 1) and positionedbelow the ejector arm 24 is configured to engage a refill bottle orcontainer and to assist in receiving, releasably engaging, and/orretaining the refill bottle or container in the diffuser 10. Theinterior compartment 59 may be configured to receive, releasably engage,and/or retain any type of container suitable to contain an activematerial. Illustrative containers useful in the present invention forholding the active material are those refill units sold under thetradename GLADE®, PLUGINS®, SCENTED OIL®, and/or RAID® brand names®, byS.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., and those disclosed in, for example, in U.S.Pat. No. 4,849,606.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a refill bottle or container 100 with a wick101 extending therefrom is received in an interior compartment 59 of thediffuser 10. A plastic shield or protective cover 102 encloses a portionof the wick 101 to protect the wick from damage as it is inserted intothe interior compartment 59. The plastic shield or protective cover 102may also surround the wick 101 to protect the components of the diffuser10 from contact with the active material contained in the wick. As seenin FIG. 9, vent openings 52 a in the housing 20 are disposed above thewick 101 to provide ventilation to the outside atmosphere. The ejectorarm 24 is pivotally mounted and positioned to eject the refill bottle orcontainer 100 from the interior compartment 59. The ejector arm 24 isconfigured to cantilever over a top portion between a body 100 a of thecontainer 100 and an upper portion 101 a of the wick 101 of thecontainer when the container is received or being inserted into theinterior compartment 59. As shown in FIG. 9, a portion of the ejectorarm 24 protrudes from the housing assembly 20 so as to allow engagementwith a hand and/or a finger of a user, such that, for example,sufficient pressure may be exerted by the user on the ejector arm 24 andthe refill bottle or container 100 to disengage and eject the refillbottle or container from the interior compartment 59. The heater 45 andthe adjustment mechanism 25 are positioned to displace the upper portion101 a of the wick 100 toward or away from the heater. In one embodimentthe heater 45 is disposed at least 3 inches (7.62 cm) from the opening31 in the housing assembly 20, such as an opening accessible to a humanhand or finger. In one embodiment of the present invention, ejection ofthe refill bottle or container 100 from the interior compartment 59 isaccomplished only by first opening the reclosable door 23. Such aconfiguration reduces the risk of accidental ejection of the refillbottle or container 100 from the interior compartment 59 during, forexample, transport and/or handling of the device. The reclosable door 23may also be tamper and/or age-specific resistant. For example, areclosable door 23 may be configured to be resistant to being open bychildren and/or young adults. In other embodiments, an ejectormechanism, such as the ejector arm 24 as shown in FIGS. 1-10, isconfigured such that a user must apply enough force by pressing up,down, and/or sideways on the ejector mechanism 24 to open a hatch orcover, such as a reclosable door 23, that encloses a refill bottle orcontainer 100 in an enclosed interior compartment 59 when the hatch orcover is in a closed position, and disengage and eject the refill bottleor container 100 from the interior compartment.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, a direct-corded diffuser 1601 a multi-piecehousing 1610 (having a front portion 1610 a and a back portion 1610 b),a container 1650 of active material, and a heater 45 (shownschematically in FIG. 14) similar to those described above with respectto the above embodiments. Accordingly, details of the construction ofthose elements are omitted.

In addition, the diffuser 1601 of this embodiment shows a remote-useassembly that supplies electrical energy to the diffuser 1601 from aremote wall socket S. The remote-use assembly of this embodimentcomprises a transformer/rectifier 1644, a cord 1642, and a receptacle(not shown) electrically connected to the cord. Thetransformer/rectifier 1644 includes a wall plug (also not shown), whichplugs directly into the wall socket S. The transformer/rectifier 1644steps down the voltage and rectifies the current (for example, convertsapproximately 110 volts AC from the wall socket S to about 2-15 voltsDC, depending on the desired characteristics and features of thediffuser) from the wall socket S. This stepped-down DC power is thensupplied through the cord 1642 to the receptacle, which attaches to ajack or plug 1612 on the back portion 1610 b of the housing 1610. Thisarrangement, using the transformer/rectifier 1644, may be preferred fromthe safety standpoint, since the voltage supplied to the diffuser 1610is much lower than that at the wall socket S.

In the diffuser 1601 a base 1616 coupled to the housing 1610 supportsthe diffuser on a support surface at a location remote from the wallsocket S. As shown in FIG. 19, the base 1616 is formed integrally with aback portion 1610 b of the housing 1610. However, the configuration ofthe base 1616 is not important. As long as the base provides a supportto hold the diffuser in a desired orientation, it can effectively beformed integrally with any portion of the housing or could be providedas a separate element that is coupled to the housing 1610 to hold thediffuser 1601.

The diffuser 1601 also includes an adjustment mechanism 1626 for varyingthe rate at which the active material is diffused. The adjustmentmechanism 1626 adjusts the diffusion rate by moving a wick (not shown)of the container 1650 towards the heater 45, in accordance with themovement of a dial 1626 by a user. Such a wick adjustment mechanism isdescribed in detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0138241 A1. The diffused active material exits the diffuser througha chimney or vent 1632 formed in the top of the housing 1610.

A lighting element (not shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, but shownschematically FIG. 14) of the diffuser 1601 preferably comprises atleast one LED, more preferably a plurality of LED's. The LED(s) aredisposed in the housing 1610 beneath a lens 1614 that is constructed asan integral optical element. During operation, light from the LED(s) isemitted from the diffuser through one or more thicker portions 1615 soas to project diffuse light from the thicker portion and to projectlight from the thinner portions. The embodiment shown in FIG. 119 has anumber of windows 1634 formed in a back surface of the cover 1614 andarranged in a fan shape. Additionally or alternatively, the lens 1614 ispreferably made of a translucent or transparent material of variousthicknesses so that light will be emitted through the entire lens 1614in a projected and/or diffuse pattern.

The diffuser 1601 shown in FIG. 18 includes a pair of LED's (not shown)which shine through the windows 1634, and preferably also through thelens 1614. Light emitted from the windows 1634 can be projected onto awall W or other surface to form a lighted display or “wall wash” in theshape of the windows 1634. Since two LED's are used in the illustratedembodiment, two separate wall washes L1 and L2 are projected onto thewall W. Such a wall wash L1, L2 feature is possible by locating thediffuser 1601 a short distance from a wall W or other projectingsurface. Further, the wall wash L1, L2 feature may be generallyapplicable to a wide variety of lighting features. For example, anynightlight or lighted diffuser could be configured to create a wall washon the wall to generate a decorative display. Moreover, the wall washL1, L2 could be configured to move, by moving either the lightingelement or the window through which the light shines, or varying thecolor and/or intensity of the lighting element, thereby creating amoving or changing projection. Sill further, the shape of the at leastone window 1634 could be varied by, for example, providinginterchangeable inserts or slides of varying shape, color, opacity, orthe like, so as to allow a user to change the projected image by simplychanging the insert.

A pair of switches 1622, 1624 is provided on the diffuser 1601.Preferably, these switches control operation of the light source 43. Forexample, the first switch 1622 is used to select from among a pluralityof color programs to change the color of light emitted from thediffuser, and the second switch 1624 is used to control the brightnessor intensity of the LED's. The switches 1622, 1624 could also beconnected to one or more light controllers, such that when actuated bythe respective switch, the light controller controls the color and/orintensity of the LED's. Alternatively, each of the buttons 1622, 1624could be used to control a different one of the LED's 1690, such thateach LED can be separately turned on and off manually by pressing thebutton associate with that LED. In another alternative, switch 1622could be used to control operation of the heating element 1608 andswitch 1624 could be used to control operation of both of the LED's. Ofcourse any number of different switches could be used to controldifferent functions, depending on the specific configuration of thediffuser.

In embodiments that utilize a heater, an active material useful in thepresent invention is a material where the diffusion and/orvolatilization rate is enhanced by the application of heat. Such activematerials include organic and/or synthetic air freshener compositions,insect control compositions (repellants and insecticides), sanitizers,and the like. Suitable examples of air freshener compositions useful inthe present invention include those described in, for example, U.S. Pat.No. 4,849,606. Examples of insect control compositions useful in thepresent invention include those described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.6,503,459. Other examples of insect control compositions useful in thepresent invention include those described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.6,337,080. In embodiments that utilize a piezoelectric device,compositions useful in the present invention are described in, forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,863. Scented oils and containers forholding the oils suitable in the present invention include thosedescribed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,053. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, an active material is avolatilizable material such as, for example, a volatile material thatvaporizes at or near room temperature, or less than about 266° F. (130°C.), or less than about 149° F. (65° C.), or between about 149° F. (65°C.) and about 266° F. (130° C.), or any volatile material the vaporizesabove about room temperature. Volatilizable materials useful in thepresent invention include, for example, air quality modification agents,pest control agents, and/or allergen control agents. An example of anair quality modification agent includes a volatile material that changesthe smell or scent of the air, and includes, for example, perfumes,fragrances, and/or air deodorizers. Pest control agents include, forexample, insecticides, insect growth regulators, repellents, and anyother volatile material that kills or affects the development,functioning, or behavior of a pest animal, including, for example,insects. The volatilizable material may include, for example, a carriersuch as a polymer, a ceramic, and/or clay, or any other materialsuitable for containing a volatile material for heated volatilization.The volatilizable material may be, for example, a liquid, a gel, asemisolid, or a solid under ambient conditions.

A refill bottle or container useful in the present invention includesconventional bottles, containers, and/or similar devices configured toreceive a volatilizable material and optionally hold at least one wickin place. The refill bottle may be made of any desired materialincluding, for example, glass, metal, and/or a plastic material, whichis compatible with the material to be vaporized. For example, a refillbottle may be made of polypropylene, BAREX®, ZEONOR® and/or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), and combinations thereof.

A wick of the present invention may be of any desired wick material,such as, for example, a porous/sintered plastics or polymers, such asultra-density or ultra-high-density polyethylene and polypropylene,bonded fibers, glass sintered fibers, ceramic materials, carbon fibers,sintered carbon, wood, metal foams, compressed wood composites, bundledfibers, woven material fibers, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and thelike.

In embodiments of the present invention, all or a substantial portion ofthe outside surface of a device that may come in contact with skincontact of a user such as a hand or finger, including, for example,substantially the entire outside surface of a device, does not exceed atemperature of, for example, where a material is a metal, the surfacetemperature does not exceed about 122° F. (50° C.), or more preferablyabout 131° F. (55° C.), or more preferably about 140° F. (60° C.), ormore preferably about 149° F. (65° C.), or more preferably about 158° F.(70° C.); while a plastic surface does not exceed about 140° F. (60°C.), or more preferably about 167° F. (75° C.), or more preferably about176° F. (80° C.), or more preferably about 185° F. (85° C.), or morepreferably about 230° F. (110° C.), or more preferably about 212° F.(100° C.); and a glass surface does not exceed a temperature of about131° F. (55° C.), or more preferably about 149° F. (65° C.), or morepreferably about 158° F. (70° C.), or more preferably about 167° F. (75°C.), or more preferably about 194° F. (90° C.); and a surface of apolymeric material does not exceed a temperature of about 194° F. (90°C.), or more preferably about 203° F. (95° C.), or more preferably about257° F. (125° C.), or more preferably about 266° F. (130° C.); while thedevice is operated at about ambient temperature of, for example, about77° F. (25° C.), or between about 70° F. (21° C.) to about 86° F. (30°C.).

Different lens thickness 90, 1615 may also be incorporated into anindividual lens or various lenses may have different lens thicknesses inthe diffuser 10, 1610. For example, in FIG. 9, the front lens 27 isshown as a lens of substantially uniform thickness. In otherembodiments, different sections of the lens 28, 1614 are thicker 90,1615 than other sections with the thicker sections being more opaque tolight therefore giving a more diffuse light display and/or projecting apattern. In some embodiments the diffuser lens 29 of FIG. 1 can beeliminated as shown in FIG. 9 where the front lens 27 is of a thicknessand opaqueness that sufficiently diffuses the light emitted from thelight source 43 such that the lens is substantially nontransparent andprovides, for example, a glowing effect from the emitted light. In otherembodiments, the lens can be frosted and/or polished to provide the sameeffect as increasing the thickness and opacity of the lens including,for example, providing a glowing effect.

Lenses 27, 28, 1614 of the present invention may be made from anysuitable material that may transmit an amount of light, including, forexample, a transparent or semitransparent material such as, for example,glass, or plastics, and withstand the heat or energy generated by aparticular light source 43 and/or heater 45 utilized in a device of thepresent invention. Illustrative examples of plastics useful in thepresent invention include polyvinylchloride, ethylene propyleneco-polymers, polyamides, polyolefins, styrenic polymers, acrylics,polycarbonates, polymethylpentene, nitrile polymers, cellulose acetatepolymers, and/or polyesters. Examples of polyolefins useful in thepresent invention include polyethylene, polypropylene, blends of thesetwo resins known as polyallomers, and cyclo olefin polymers. Examples ofpolyamides includes nylon 66, nylon 6 and amorphous nylon. Examples ofstyrenic polymers include polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers,transparent acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers andstyrene-butadiene block copolymers. Examples of polyesters includepolyethylene terephthalate, copolyesters made with cyclohexanedimethanoland/or isophthalic acid comonomers, polyethylene naphthalate, and theirblends. A resin useful in the present invention includes, for example, ametallocene homopolymer polypropylene and may be produced usingsingle-site catalyst. Clarifiers and/or a nucleation additive may alsobe added to the material to improve clarity. In some embodiments whereinjection molding and/or thermoforming is utilized to manufacture alens, the material selected to make the lens has a melt flow ratecompatible with the manufacturing technique. For example, a metallocenehomopolymer polypropylene that has a melt flow of about 2.3 g/10 min. issuitable for injection molding or thermoforming. The lenses may also bemade from standard homopolymer or random copolymer polypropylene resins(made, for example, using multi-site Ziegler-Natta type catalyst) thatcontain a clarifier and/or a nucleation additive to improve clarity.Illustrative polypropylenes useful in the present invention include:

-   -   1. Total 3622M homopolymer polypropylene-clarified, from Total        Petrochemicals USA, Inc.;    -   2. Total 7231M random copolymer polypropylene-clarified, from        Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc.;

3. Inspire D118.01 Developmental Performance polypropylene, from DowChemical Company;

-   -   4. Inspire D404.01 Developmental Performance polypropylene, from        Dow Chemical Company;    -   5. Total M3282MZ metallocene homopolymer polypropylene, from        Total Petrochemicals USA;    -   6. TR-3020-C random copolymer polypropylene-clarified, from        Sunoco Chemicals;    -   7. FT-021-N homopolymer polypropylene-nucleated, from Sunoco        Chemicals; and    -   8. Achieve 1605 metallocene homopolymer polypropylene, from        ExxonMobil.        Suitable isotactic polypropylene homopolymers and/or copolymers        useful in the present invention include the compounds disclosed        in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,727,332, by Demain. Other        suitable isotactic polypropylene homopolymers and/or copolymers        useful in the present invention include the compounds disclosed        in, for example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0249094, by        Demain. Suitable metallocene polypropylene resin compounds        useful in the present invention include the material disclosed        in, for example, International Publication No. WO 95/30708.        Other polyolefins useful in the present invention include        polyolefins disclosed in, for example, European Patent        Application No. 92870153.1, by Ewen, et al. Still other        polyolefins useful in the present invention include those        disclosed in, for example, European Patent Application No.        02079921.9, by Razavi. Other transparent or semitransparent        resins useful in the present invention include the resins        disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,864,320, by Ogawa, et        al. Other suitable materials useful in the present invention        include the material disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.        6,781,761, by Raymond. Still other suitable materials useful in        the present invention include the material disclosed in, for        example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,721, by Albe, et al. Yet other        suitable materials useful in the present invention include the        material disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,711, by        Bauch. Other suitable material useful in the present invention        include the compositions disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat.        No. 6,239,216, by Montanari, et al. Nylon and nylon copolymers        useful in the present invention include the nylon and nylon        copolymers disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,440,        by Jaworski et al. Blends of the above materials may also be        used in the present invention including, for example, the        polypropylene blends disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,177, by        Shamshoum, et al. Other polypropylene blends useful in the        present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S.        Pat. No. 6,268,062, by DeMuse. Other suitable plastics and        blends, mixtures, and/or derivatives thereof useful in the        present invention may also be prepared using standard procedures        known to those skilled in the art of synthetic organic chemistry        and described, for example, by J. March, Advanced Organic        Chemistry; Reactions, Mechanisms and Structure, 4^(th) Ed. (New        York: Wiley-Interscience, 1992); George M. Benedikt, editor,        Metallocene Technology in Commercial Applications, (New York:        Plastics Design Library, 1999); Cornelia Vasile, editor,        Handbook of Polyolefins, 2^(nd) Ed. (New York, Marcel Dekker,        Inc., 2000); D. R. Paul & C. B. Bucknall, editors, Polymer        Blends, Vol. 2: Performance (New York, Wiley-Interscience,        2000); and Irvin I. Rubin, editor, Handbook of Plastic Materials        and Technology, (New York, Wiley-Interscience, 1990).

A consideration in selecting a lens material for use in the presentinvention is the crystallization properties of the material and theability to control the crystallization properties such that by varying alens thickness an area of the lens may appear clear in a thin sectionand hazy or opaque in thicker regions. Polymers such as polystyrene,polycarbonate, styrene acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymers tend to beclear regardless of thickness, but may still be utilized in the presentinvention be altering a surface of the material to impact lighttransmittance through the altered surface. Another consideration inselecting the lens material is resistance to solvents, additives,excipients, and/or carriers used in delivering active ingredients. Forexample, polypropylene is generally resistant to the solvents found insome fragrances useful in the present invention.

Combinations of the above materials may also be used in the presentinvention, including, for example, polypropylene and polyethylene blendsor co-polymers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,286, by Schardl, Jr., etal.

Lenses 27, 28, 1614 of the present invention may also be treated withinks, dyes, and/or pigments to alter the appearance of the lens and/orto adapt the lens for a specific application. For example, in oneembodiment the lens is treated with inks and/or other printed indicia todisplay product identification, advertisements, warnings, decoration,and/or other information. Various techniques known to those skilled inthe art can be used to print on the lens, including, for example, screenprinting, letterpress, offset, flexographic printing, stipple printing,laser printing, and so forth, and various types of ink can be used,including one and two component inks, oxidatively drying and UV-dryinginks, dissolved inks, dispersed inks, and 100% ink systems. Theappearance of the lens may also be altered by laminating a dyed film tothe lens, applying a pigmented coating to the surface of the lens,and/or including a pigment in one or more of the materials used to makethe lens. Both visible and near infrared dyes and pigments may be used,and include, for example, optical brighteners such as dyes that absorbin the UV and fluoresce in the visible region of the color spectrum.Other additional layers that may be added to alter the appearance of thelens include, for example, opacifying (black) layers, diffusing layers,holographic images or holographic diffusers, and metal layers orcoatings. Each of these, for example, may be applied directly to one ormore surfaces of the lens, and/or may be a component that is laminatedto the lens. In addition to the films, coatings, and additives notedabove, the lens material of the present invention may also compriseother materials or additives as are known to the art. Such materialsinclude binders, coatings, fillers, compatibilizers, surfactants,antimicrobial agents, foaming agents, reinforcers, heat stabilizers,impact modifiers, plasticizers, viscosity modifiers, and/or other suchmaterials, and combinations thereof. The lens material may also besubjected to various treatments which modify the surfaces of lens, orany portion thereof, to render the surface more conducive to subsequenttreatments such as coating, dying, metallizing, and/or lamination. Suchtreatments include, for example, treatment with primers, such aspolyvinylidene chloride, poly(methylmethacrylate), epoxies, and/oraziridines, or through physical priming treatments such as corona,flame, plasma, flash lamp, sputter-etching, e-beam treatments, and/oramorphizing the surface layer to remove crystallinity.

The lenses 27, 28, 1614 of the present invention may also take anydesired shape, and may be in a decorative form if so desired. The lenses27, 28, 1614 may also be convergent or non-convergent depending on theparticular application desired. The lenses 27, 28, 1614 may also beconstructed with one or more shaped cutouts or windows 1634, throughwhich the light may pass, so as to project images on a wall or othersurface L1, L2 (See FIG. 18). Further, while the figures illustrate theinvention with the nightlight at the top, it is possible to orient thedispenser with the nightlight at the bottom or to the side.

A diffuser 10, 1601 may include one or more light sources 43 such asLED's, which shine through a window 1634 and/or lenses 27, 28, 1614.Light emitted from the windows 1634 and/or lenses 27, 28, 1614 may beprojected onto a wall or other surface to form a lighted display or“wall wash” in the shape of the windows L1, L2. Where multiple LED's areused, multiple and/or separate wall washes may be projected from thediffuser 10. Such a wall wash feature is possible by locating thediffuser 10, 1601 a short distance from a wall or other projectingsurface. By using a corded arrangement, the diffuser 10, 1601 may bereadily placed in a desired location for viewing by a user, and/or maybe positioned at a desired distance from the projecting surface, forexample, to adjust the size of the projected image. Alternatively, thewall wash feature could also be applied to a device that plugs directlyinto a wall socket. In such an arrangement, the light would project froma back surface 38 of the diffuser 10, 1610 onto the wall above, below,to one or more sides and/or around the wall socket. Further, the wallwash feature may be generally applicable to a wide variety of lightingfeatures. For example, any nightlight or lighted diffuser 10, 1610 couldbe configured to create a wall wash on the wall to generate a decorativedisplay. Moreover, the wall wash may be configured to move, by movingeither the lighting element or the window through which the lightshines, or varying the color and/or intensity of the lighting element,thereby creating a moving or changing projection. Sill further, theshape of the window could be varied by, for example, providinginterchangeable inserts or slides of varying shape, color, opacity, orthe like, so as to allow a user to change the projected image by simplychanging the insert. Control of the lighting elements may beaccomplished by the provision of one or more light controllers tocontrol the color and/or intensity of the LED's, so as to produce apredetermined presentation. In particular, a programmable processor maybe used to allow a user to program the operation of light thecontroller(s) to control at least one of the color and intensity of atleast one of the plurality of LED's, to produce a desired presentation,over a set period, for instance.

While the light source 43 shows three LED's with respect to theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1-10, any number of LED's may be used. Inaddition, the choice of which color LED's to provide may be influencedor dictated by design preferences. The intensity and exact color of theLED's may also be varied by changing the current applied to each diode.When three colors of LED's are used, typically mixtures of red, green,and blue LED's are utilized. In one embodiment, one of each color LED isprovided in close proximity to one of each other color. With such anarrangement, the exact color of each diode of the set of three differentcolors may be adjusted to create a blended color, for example, amber orpurple. This blending may be achieved in one embodiment by providing thethree diodes in such close proximity that the observer only sees theblend of colored lights, rather than each individual diode. In yetanother embodiment, a light diffuser 10, 1601 may be provided to diffusethe light of the three diodes to produce the combined color. In otherembodiments, the lights may be projected off a surface to be combinedbefore being viewed by an observer. Light-emitting diodes of a widearray of colors are readily available from lighting manufactures. Inembodiments utilizing LED's, the LED's may be positioned on a device tooptimize or maximize the transmission and/or projection of light and/orcolor from the device 10. 1601. For example, where one or more LED's areplaced between two lenses 27, 28 such as seen in, for example, FIG. 1,or under one lens 1615 such as seen in, for example, FIG. 18, the LED'sare positioned to project a more intense pattern of light through onelens, for example, the back lens 28, and project a more diffuse patternof light through another lens, for example, the front lens 27, orthrough different portions of one lens 1615. This may be accomplished invarious ways and by way of example, it may be accomplished by having theLED's in-line as shown, or the LED's be arranged in various shapesincluding, a triangle, a square, a circle, a rectangle, a randompattern, a shape of an object, or any desired shape depending on thelight projection pattern, effect, and/or color desired. For example, inone embodiment of the present invention, a triangular arrangement ofLED's provides sharper and/or crisper color definition and/or colormixing patterns, while an in-line arrangement provides a more diffuseand/or muted pattern. The LED may also be angled relative to the lensesto take into consideration the light projection pattern of the LED. Forexample, with a LED that is constructed to project light in a cone-likepatter, for example, a reflective cup is positioned at the base of theLED, the LED is pointed or positioned toward a direction where thehighest intensity of light is desired. Using FIGS. 1-10 as an example,where the strongest projected light is desired through the back lens 28of the diffuser 10, the LED's 43 may be tilted at an angle such that thedirection of projected light is substantially through the back lens.Illustratively, the LED is titled toward the back lens 28 at an angle ofbetween about 5° to about 90°, or between about 10° to about 75°, orbetween about 15° to about 60°, or between about 20° to about 45°, orabout 15°, or about 30°, or about 45°, or about 60°, or about 75°, orabout 90°, relative to the angle shown in FIG. 1, for example. Alsowhere a LED is configured to project light in a cone-like pattern, theangle that the LED is position may also depend on, for example, theprojection of the light boundary along the outline of the cone. Forexample, and using FIGS. 1-10 again as an example, the LED's 43 may betilted in an orientation toward the back lens 28 that moves thecone-light boundary off the front lens 27 thereby providing a morediffuse light display on the front lens without the cone-light boundary.Where multiple LED's are utilized, each LED may be independentlypositioned to achieve, for example, a desired light effect, lightpattern, color, and/or color mix.

A light source 43 useful in the present invention may include, forexample, a light bulb such as, for example, an incandescent bulb, afluorescent bulb, and/or a halogen bulb, a LED, a laser diode, a liquidcrystal device, a laser, a cathode ray tube, a micromirror device, adigital light processor, a plasma display, and/or any device that emitslight of any energy range.

In addition, a diffuser 10, 1601 according to the present invention mayinclude one or more of a “shine-through” feature wherein light from alight source 43 in the diffuser, such as, an LED, shines through acontainer 100, 1650, containing an active material including, forexample, a glass or plastic bottle filled with a translucent orsemi-translucent active material, or a “display feature” where theemission of light, fragrance, and/or sound is controlled by a userincluding in a coordinated manner. Illustratively, at least one LED of adiffuser 10, 1601 of the present invention is positioned such that whenthe active material is received in the interior compartment, at leastone LED “shines through” the active material. In this embodiment, theactive material may be a translucent or semi-translucent material, suchas a translucent or semi-translucent solid, semi-solid, gaseous, gel,and/or liquid material, such as, for example, a translucent scented oilcontained in, for example, a transparent or translucent container sothat light may shine through container, such as, for example, a gelcartridge, or other materials that are transmissive to light.

A kit of the present invention may include at least one component of adevice of the present invention. In the case of a diffuser 10, forexample, the kit may include a housing assembly 20 having an interiorcompartment 59 for receiving a container 100 having a wick 101, a heater45, an adjustment mechanism 25 for displacing the upper portion of thewick 101 toward or away from the heater, an electrical connection totransmit power to the diffuser, a light source, and/or one or morepermanent, semi-permanent or replaceable lens to project light emittedfrom the light source. Illustratively, a kit may include an assembledready-to-use diffuser 10 and a container filled with a volatilizedmaterial such as a fragrance. A user then inserts the container into thediffuser 10 and powers up the diffuser. A set of instruction for theuser may also be provided to instruct the user on assembly and/or use ofthe diffuser 10. The instructions may be age specific and provideadequate instructions that are understood by the particular age group.The instructions may include a description of installing, assembly, use,programming, cleaning, maintenance, and other functions of the device.In some embodiments, parts of a device including, for example, thehousing assembly 20, the heater 45, the adjustment mechanism 25, thelight source 43, and/or the lenses 27, 28 of a diffuser 10, areconfigured to be removable. Where the lens or lenses 27, 28 areremovable, a kit may contain one or more different kinds or types oflenses of, for example, various colors, shapes, and/or patterns, thatmay be mixed or matched depending on the particular light displaydesired. A kit may also include one or more stick-on labels 95 (SeeFIG. 1) that may be attached to the lens or lenses 27, 28 to project apattern of light from the device. The light source 43 including, forexample, a LED, may also be configured to removable and replaced by auser to, for example, provide different lighting effects with differentconfigurations of LED's.

The various components and subassemblies of the diffuser 10, 1601 may beconfigured to clip or fit snugly together during assembly in a permanentor semi-permanent manner. In such configurations, the assembly reducesthe likelihood that a user accidentally damages or gains access to theelectrical circuitry contained within. Such subassemblies may beattached together by any means know in the art, including, for example,gluing or cementing the components or subassemblies together by anadhesive, or the components or subassemblies may be of such closetolerance fit as to prevent easy disassembly. Where adhesives are used,the adhesives may also be included in a kit of the present invention foruse by a user. In other embodiments, the various components andsubassemblies are ultrasonically welded together.

In other embodiments of the present invention, other configurations oflight-emitting diodes can be used in a diffuser 10, 1601 depending onthe particular light effect that is desired, including, for example, anightlight, a multicolored display, a color-changing display, aprojection display, and/or a shine-through display. For example, adiffuser 10, 1601 of the present invention can include one or morelight-emitting diodes and/or one or more light-emitting diode arrays ofone or various colors and/or luminosities. One or more of light-emittingdiodes may also be used as a low-temperature, low-power light such as,for example, a nightlight, and/or an ornamental display.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more LED's 207 is“always on” whenever power is supplied to a diffuser 10, 1601 and mayserve as a nightlight. One such circuit for the “always on” type isshown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the LED's 207 that act asa nightlight are controlled by a conventional manual on/off switch 240,or by an automatic circuitry including an ambient light sensor device220. One such ambient light senor device useful in the present inventionis disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,440.

FIG. 11 shows circuit diagram of a circuit 200 useful in the presentinvention. The circuit 200 of FIG. 11 comprises a heater 45, a bridgecircuit 230, and a light-emitting diode lighting element 207. The bridgecircuit 230 is of a conventional type, the use of which is well known inthe art. The bridge circuit 230 is comprised of four diodes D1-D4arranged to allow current to flow through the light-emitting diodelighting element 207 in the same direction regardless of the change inpolarity of the alternating current from the wall socket. When currentfrom a wall socket is flowing in the direction indicated by the arrow inFIG. 11, the current travels through the heater 45, through diode D2,through the light-emitting diode lighting element 207, and then throughdiode D4 to complete the circuit. When the current from the wall sockettravels in the direction opposite the arrow in FIG. 11 (for example,when the alternating current has the opposite polarity), the current isallowed to travel through diode D3, through the light-emitting diodelighting element 207, though diode D1, and through the heater 45 tocomplete the circuit.

In another embodiment, instead of a full wave rectification circuit, ahalf wave rectification circuit may be used. However, the half waverectification circuit only supplies power to the light-emitting diodelighting element during one polarity of the alternating currentwaveform, thus, the light-emitting diode lighting element is only onapproximately 50% of the time. The other half of the time, thelight-emitting diode is off. Accordingly, using a half wave circuitproduces a flickering appearance of the light-emitting diode lightingelement.

FIG. 12 depicts a circuit diagram of another circuit 200 useful in thepresent invention. The circuit 200 shown in FIG. 12 is similar to theone shown in FIG. 1, except that a switch 240 is provided to turn thelight-emitting diode lighting element 207 on and off. The switch 240 isa manual on/off switch, although any type of switch, manual orautomatic, may be used. The circuit diagram of FIG. 12 shows the switch240 in an open condition, such that the light-emitting diode lightingelement 207 is turned on. When the switch 240 is open, the circuitfunctions in the same manner as the circuit of FIG. 1. When, however,the switch 240 is closed, the current bypasses the light-emitting diodelighting element 207, such that the heater 45 is activated, but thelight-emitting diode lighting element 207 is not. With the switch inthis closed position, current traveling in the direction of the arrow inFIG. 12 travels through the heater 45, through diode D2, through theswitch 240 (which is now closed), and through diode D4 to complete thecircuit. When the current from the wall socket travels in the directionopposite the arrow in FIG. 12 (for example, when the alternating currenthas the opposite polarity), the current is allowed to travel throughdiode D3, through the switch 240 (which is now closed), though diode D1,and through the heater 45 to complete the circuit.

FIG. 13 depicts a circuit diagram of yet another circuit 200 of thepresent invention. In this circuit 200, an ambient light sensor device220 is used to automatically actuate the light-emitting diode lightingelement 207 when the light sensor device detects that the surroundingroom is dark. The circuit 200 depicted in FIG. 13, is similar to that ofFIG. 11, except that it also includes a transistor device 250, a secondresistor device 260, and a light sensor 220. In this circuit 200, whenthe light sensor 220 detects light the light sensor causes thetransistor 250 to conduct, such that current bypasses the light-emittingdiode lighting element 207 (for example, when current travels in thedirection shown by the arrow in FIG. 13, current travels through theheater 45, through diode D2, through transistor 250, and through diodeD4 to complete the circuit). However, when the light sensor 220 detectsthat the room is dark, the transistor 250 turns off, thereby forcingcurrent to flow through the light-emitting diode lighting device 207following the same path as in the circuit 200 of FIG. 11. Substantialcurrent does not flow through the light sensor 220, because the secondresistor 260 has a much higher resistance than does the light-emittingdiode lighting device 207.

A current limiting capacitor or resistor could be used with any of theforegoing circuits to limit and/or smooth the current flow in a knownmanner. As illustrated in FIGS. 11-13, however, a current-limitingcapacitor is not required to successfully practice the presentinvention, since the bridge circuit 230 greatly smoothes the current. Ofcourse, such a current limiting capacitor could be used if desired forparticular applications where current fluctuation due to the alternatingcurrent is to be minimized, such as where extremely constant lightintensity is important. Since no current-limiting capacitor is required,the cost of producing our invention is further reduced, as compared toother existing nightlight devices. If desired, a switch may be added toany suitable point in the circuits of FIGS. 11-13 to that a user canindividually control the heater 45 and/or the LED 207.

The electronic circuitry of another embodiment of the present inventionis described below with reference to FIG. 14. A brief description ofeach of these circuits is provided below. However, the drawing figuresalone should be sufficient for one of ordinary skill in the art to makeand use our invention.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a circuit 1000 for controlling the heater 45and light-emitting diodes LED 1, LED 2, LED 3 includes a programmableintegrated circuit (PIC) 1002 having pins 1-8. The PIC 1002 may be an8-bit microcontroller available from Microchip Technology Inc. ofChandler, Ariz., under part number PIC 12C508. If desired, any suitablealternative device may be used, such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), a standard cell integrated circuit, or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) could be used in place of the PIC 1002.

Input voltages V_(CC) and ground are supplied to pins 1 and 8,respectively, of the PIC 1002. The pin 2 of the PIC 1002 is also coupledto ground so that the internal oscillator of the PIC 1002 is utilized toestablish the time base of the PIC 1002. Switches S1 and S2 are coupledto pins 3 and 4, respectively, of the PIC 1002, and pull-up resistors R1and R2 are coupled between the voltage V_(CC) and the pins 3 and 4,respectively. The light-emitting diodes LED 1, LED 2, LED 3 are coupledbetween a power supply 1004 and first terminals of current limitingresistors R3, R4, and R5, respectively. Second terminals of theresistors R3, R4, and R5 are coupled to pins 5, 6, and 7, respectively,of the PIC 1002.

The power supply 1004 receives power from a transformer (not shown),that converts 120V, 220V, 230V, and/or 240V power into 9 volt AC. Theheater 45 is coupled across the output of the transformer. The powersupply 1004 includes a diode D1 that half-wave rectifies the incoming ACpower, resistor R6, zener diode D2, and capacitors C1 and C2 thattogether function to provide a stable source of power. An optionalfurther resistor R7 is could across the parallel-connected zener diodeD2 and capacitors C1 and C2 to control the intensities of thelight-emitting diodes LED 1, LED 2, LED 3. It is understood that otherconfigurations and components may also be used in the present inventionto control one or more of the LED's and/or heaters, for example, theabove circuit may be configured with one switch to control the LED's ifdesired.

In one embodiment of the present invention, and now referring to FIG.15, upon initial energizing 1200 a device of the present invention, thelight source is off 1202 and the heater is on (not shown). A userinteracts with and/or activates a computer source code or software bypressing a set of buttons disposed on the device (for example, see FIGS.1-9, 26 a, 26 b) for a preset period of time, for example, between about20 milliseconds to about 1 second, and controls the function of thelights source. In one configuration, the left button is designated asthe light show selection and with an initial depression of the buttoninitiates the light show. Additional depressions of the button progressthe light show to the next mode as depicted in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, Mode1 1204 is configured to be a light wash or morphing of ever changingcolors with high transition speed. Mode 2 1206 is configured to be alight wash or morphing with ever changing colors but with a slowtransition speed. The color selection, morphing, and/or transition speedof Modes 1 and 2 1204, 1206 may be defined, for example, by a computersource code or a computer software program such as, for example, aPulse-Width Modulation technique, a Pulse-Length Modulation technique,and/or a Pulse-Duration Modulation technique. Mode 3 1208 is configuredto be a fixed color that matches the color of Mode 2 1206 at the timethe button is depressed. Mode 4 1210 is white light and may be anappropriate combination of multiple lights to display white light. Mode5 1212 is configured to turn the lights off.

In this embodiment, the right button is designated as light intensity,and an illustration is provided in FIG. 16. In this embodiment, when thelight show is initiated by depressing the left button, the light sourceis at maximum or 100% intensity S10. Each activation of the buttonlowers the intensity to the next lower levels S11, S12 with a total ofthree levels. Upon reaching the lowest setting, pressing the buttonagain returns the light source to the highest intensity level S10 in thesame or different mode.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a device is providedwith one button to initiate a light show and to designate lightintensity of the lights. For example, in FIG. 17, upon initialenergizing a device of the present invention, LED's are off, Mode 11500, and by an initial depression of the button for any period of timeover 20 milliseconds Mode 2 1502 is entered, which is a light wash ormorphing of ever changing colors with high transition speed. Uponentering each mode for the first time in this embodiment, the LED's areat maximum or 100% intensity. Additional depressions of the button frombetween about 20 milliseconds to about 2 seconds progresses the lightshow to the next mode as depicted in FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 17, Mode3 1504 is a light wash or morphing of ever changing colors with slowtransition speed. Mode 4 1506 is a fixed color that matches the color ofMode 3 1504 at the time the button is depressed. Mode 5 1508 is whitelight and may be an appropriate combination of multiple lights todisplay white light. Mode 6 1510 is a random mode and is described morefully below. In any of Modes 2 through 6, by depression of the buttonfor a period of time greater than about 2 seconds, the light intensityof the LED's is changed by entering into an intensity routine mode 1512.For example, in one embodiment with each depression of the buttongreater than about 2 seconds the light intensity of the LED decreases toabout 45% of maximum light intensity, then to about 25% of maximum lightintensity, and than the LED is turned off. An additional depression ofthe button greater than about 2 seconds after the LED is turned offreturns the LED to maximum or 100% intensity of Mode 2 regardless of themode at which the LED's were previously in. In another embodiment, theinitial intensity for each mode is 100%, and with each depression of thebutton over about 2 seconds the intensity is decreased a preprogrammedpercent of the current intensity level, including, for example, about a5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 50%, or 75% decrease in the current intensitylevel. In yet another embodiment, the intensity is decreased a randompercent of the current intensity until a predetermined intensity isreached. An additional depression of the button may return the lightintensity to maximum or 100% intensity in the same mode or in adifferent mode, or the light intensity increases in the same mode by apreprogrammed percentage increase. In yet another embodiment, with eachdepression of the button the light intensity is decreased by apreprogrammed amount until the intensity is again set back to 100% inthe same or different mode.

Random selection of color using multi-colored light sources may beaccomplished by any computer source code or software program known tothose skilled in the art. Illustratively, a random mode useful in thepresent invention with red, green, and blue LED's is shown in Table No.1, below. TABLE NO. 1 Random Color Light Display Mode Light-emittingDiode “ON Mode” = 1 Light-emitting Diode “OFF Mode” = 0 Random Color ofLight-Emitting Diode Color Number Red Green Blue Display 1 0 0 1 Blue 20 1 0 Green 3 0 1 1 Blue-green 4 1 0 0 Red 5 1 0 1 Red-blue 6 1 1 0Red-green 7 1 1 1 WhiteIn this example, a random number from one to seven is generated by thecomputer source code or software program and corresponds to a series of1's and 0's as shown in Table No. 1. A “0” indicates that the LED is inan “OFF Mode” and a “1” indicates that the LED is in an “ON Mode.” Thevarious ON/OFF combinations of the three LED's produce a color displayas shown in Table No. 1. The duration that the LED is in an ON Mode isdetermined by a “time on register” software location and controls theamount of time the LED's is on before moving on to the next random colorselection. The time a LED is on may be any time range desired,including, for example, from about 0.01 seconds to about 60 seconds ormore, or from about 0.05 second to about seconds 30 seconds, or fromabout 0.1 seconds to about 10 seconds, or about 0.1 seconds to about 5seconds, or less than about 60 seconds, about 30 seconds, about 15seconds, about 10 seconds, about 5 seconds, or about 1 second. Thesource code or computer software program may continuously cycle throughthe random mode for a preset period of time, and/or a user may inputspecific or preprogrammed period of time, and/or the cycle may lastindefinitely.

Source code other then the Pulse Width Modulating Pulse technique isknown to those skilled in the art including, for example, a CodeModulation technique, a Pulse Position Modulation technique, a PulseAmplitude Modulation technique and/or a Pulse Frequency Modulationtechnique, and/or other techniques utilizing one or more hardware blocks(standard cells) known to those skilled in the art may also be utilizedin present invention to control one or more functions of a light source,including, for example, color selection, morphing, and/or transitionspeed.

In yet other embodiments, other buttons may be provided to set theduration of, for example, a light presentation and/or fragrancedispersion. The duration may be adjusted by the duration and/or thenumber of times a button is pushed. For example, one press of the buttonmay initiate a fifteen minute light presentation and/or fragrancedispersion, while an additional press of the button may initiate athirty-minute duration. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the artappreciates that a wide variety of programs may be implemented toproduce the desired control over the presentation of, for example,coordinated light, aroma, and/or music, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the operation of a diffuser10 as depicted in FIGS. 1-10 and utilizing the circuitry as depicted inFIG. 14 is as follows. The bottom door 23 of the diffuser 10 is openedand the refill bottle or container 100 is inserted into the interiorcompartment 59. The recessed portion 58 engages the raised portion orprotrusion (not shown) of the refill bottle or container 100 as therefill bottle or container 100 is inserted into the interior compartment59. The opening 53 a in the back housing 38 is also configured to engagethe raised portion or protrusion 53 of the inserted refill bottle orcontainer 100 below the ejector arm 24 and is configured to engage therefill bottle. The front surface recess portion or protrusion 53 and theopening 53 a in the back housing 38 assist in receiving, releasablyengaging, and/or retaining the refill bottle or container 100 in thediffuser 10. The diffuser 10 is plugged into an electrical receptacle ofa wall outlet using a cord (not shown). The heater 45 is powered viaelectricity passing through the cord. Thus activated, the heater 45generates heat and being in close proximity to a wick 101, heats thewick that absorbs the heat energy thereby causing the active material tobe heated and evaporated. The heat energy assists in diffusing theactive material into the air through the top vents 52 a. A “chimneyeffect” is created by air entering the bottom vent openings 52 b toreplace the air exiting the interior compartment 59 due to heatconvection. The light source 43 is powered from the electricity suppliedto the diffuser 10 and is programmed to be off upon energizing thediffuser. In other embodiments the LED's 43 are always “on,” or arecontrolled by a conventional on/off switch (not shown) or by anautomatic circuitry including, for example, an ambient light sensor (notshown).

Additionally, a printed circuit board 30 useful in the present inventionmay also include one or more controllers, memories, and/or processorsfor controlling the operation of at least one component of a diffuser 10including, for example, a LED and/or a heater 45. For example, a lightcontroller circuit may control the color and/or intensity of one or moreLED, and a fragrance controller circuit may control the rate ofdiffusion of the active material by varying the heat emitted from one ormore heaters 45. Both controllers may be operated in a coordinatedmanner, so as to produce a predetermined presentation. In otherembodiments, a programmable processor may be used to allow a user toprogram the operation of the fragrance controller and light controllerto control at least one of (i) the rate at which the active material isdiffused over the course of the presentation, and (ii) at least one ofthe color and intensity of at least one of the plurality of LED's, toproduce a desired presentation over a set period. Other control optionsand configuration are described in, for example, PCT/US2004/003533.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides apparatuses, methods, kits, andcombinations useful for displaying light from a device. For example, adiffuser may be utilized to generate aesthetic lighting displays, suchas multicolored displays, color-changing displays, projection displays,shine-through displays, or the like. A diffuser 10 may also be used inlocations where the diffuser is directly plugged into, for example, awall socket, or the diffuser may be corded and be plugged into anelectrical power source at a remote location. A diffuser 10 may alsoprovide control over varying emission of light and/or fragrance.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology used is intended to be in the natureof description rather than of limitation. All patents and otherreferences cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.Many modifications, equivalents, and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings, therefore, it is to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced other than as specifically described.

1. A diffuser, comprising: a housing assembly having a compartment forreceiving a container having a wick; a heating device disposed withinthe housing assembly at a position proximate to an upper portion of thewick; an electrical connection to transmit electricity to the diffuser;a light source comprising a light-emitting diode; and at least one lensto project light emitted from the light source from the diffuser.
 2. Thediffuser of claim 1, wherein the diffuser comprises at least two lenses.3. The diffuser of claim 2, wherein at least one lenses is orientedtoward at least one of a front, side, top, bottom, or back orientationof the diffuser.
 4. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein at least one of thelenses comprises a glass, a resin, or a plastic.
 5. The diffuser ofclaim 4, wherein the at least one lens comprises a plastic comprisingpolypropylene.
 6. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein at least one of thelenses diffuses light and at least one lens projects light.
 7. Thediffuser of claim 1, wherein at least one lens diffuses light andprojects light.
 8. The diffuser of claim 7, wherein the at least onelens comprises a single integral optical element.
 9. The diffuser ofclaim 8, wherein at least one of the sections of the lens is thickerthan at least one other section of the lens.
 10. The diffuser of claim9, wherein the thicker section of the lens is more opaque to light thana thinner section of the lens.
 11. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein aportion of the lens is at least one of clear, polished, frosted,colored, etched, painted, and textured.
 12. The diffuser of claim 11,wherein the lens comprises a section of the lens portion that is thickerthan at least one other section of the lens.
 13. The diffuser of claim12, wherein the thicker portion of the lens is more opaque to visiblelight than a thinner portion of the lens.
 14. The diffuser of claim 1further comprising an adjustment mechanism for displacing the upperportion of the wick toward or away from the heating device.
 15. A methodof displaying light and dispensing a fragrance from a diffuser, themethod comprises: providing the diffuser, the diffuser including ahousing assembly having a reclosable compartment for at least one ofreceiving, releasably engaging, and retaining a container configured tocontain the fragrance and an optional wick extending therefrom; aheating device disposed within the housing assembly at a positionproximate to the container; a light source comprising a light-emittingdiode; and at least one lens near the light source to display light;inserting into the compartment the container having an amount of thefragrance; providing a power source to the diffuser; and activating theheater and the light source to display the light through the at leastone lens and to dispense the fragrance from the diffuser.
 16. The methodof claim 15, wherein the diffuser comprises at least two lenses.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, wherein at least one lens diffuses light andprojects light.
 18. A multi-clarity lens for displaying light from adevice to disperse active material, the multi-clarity lens comprising: apolypropylene lens comprising at least one section that is thicker andmore opaque to light than at least one other section; wherein the devicecomprises a housing assembly having a compartment for at least one ofreceiving, releasably engaging, and retaining a container configured tocontain the active material and an optional wick extending therefrom; aheating device disposed within the housing assembly at a positionproximate to the container; a light source comprising a light-emittingdiode; and at least one of the polypropylene lenses near the lightsource to display light.
 19. The multi-clarity lens of claim 18, whereinthe lens diffuses light and projects light.
 20. The multi-clarity lensof claim 18, wherein a section of the polypropylene lens is at least oneof clear, polished, frosted, colored, etched, painted, and textured.